Pirates have seized two Egyptian fishing boats off the coast of Somalia.
An Egyptian official says the boats were captured off the coast of Somaliland.
Deputy foreign minister for consular affairs Ahmad Rizk said on Monday that it was the first time boats were seized off the coast of Somaliland, which is considered one of the safest coastlines in the region.
Somaliland proclaimed its independence in May 1991, five months after the start of civil war in Somalia.